New Beginning
by ontasbaar
Summary: I'm travelling the world with him. But I'm dying to know who he is.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 : SHATTERED

Bella POV

He left me. I always knew It was too good to be true, but deep down I had hoped that it would never happen. I had hoped that when I was turned into a vampire I would finally be able to rise to his expectations. Edward. it hurt to even think about him. That's why I had finally given up. I had surrendered to the pain and decided to end it once and for all.

I slowly walked to the edge of the cliff. I felt a wave of calm settle over me as I looked at the waves crashing against the side of the cliff. My life had turned upside down when he had left me, my loving family was gone. Charlie had been shot on the job and Renee has been trying to get me out of my trance like state. I knew that she would miss me but also knew that in a way I was doing her a favour, she would be able to travel all over the world with Phil without looking back. She would get over my death, she would move on. I took off all my clothes and said my last goodbyes to the world. I jumped. I felt the wind rushing through my hair and felt completely at ease and as I neared the crashing waves below me. As I plunged into the frigid water I didn't dare move my body. I felt a wave crashing down on me. It hit me against the side of the cliff over and over as I drifted into unconsciousness.

A/N

So that was the first chapter. I apologize for how short it is, this chapter is kind of about what happened to Bella before the " real " story begins.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own anything. It aalll belongs to Stephanie Meyers.

CHAPTER 2

I saw black. It was easy, peaceful,calm. Then I opened my eyes. I was blinded by a white light, I was sure I had gone to hell. So why did I see a white light? "Isabella? Bella?" I heard a voice above me. As my eyes focused I saw a man standing over me. "Who are you?" I croaked, my throat raw. "It's me ,Carlisle." My heart beat quickened with shock."Where am I ?"I asked him.

"You're in a hospital . What did you do to yourself?"

"I jumped off a cliff . I couldn't take the pain anymore. Since you decided to up and leave. Did I do something wrong?"

"We had to, Bella . It was for your own good. You needed to live a normal life. We couldn't give that to you." I looked at the wall as he said that . How could he think that? I had been perfectly happy with them. I wouldn't have traded them for anything in the world.

"I was very happy with all of you. I never needed a normal li- " I trailed off as I was abruptly cut off by the medicine kicking in and my sight turned fuzzy.

I woke to the noise of an engine. It took me a few second to realize that I was in Carlisle's car, we were driving along a dark road with tall trees flashing by. "Where are you taking me?" I whispered .

"I'm taking you back to my family. Our family." Fear suddenly coursed through me . A part of me didn't want to see them again while I part of me felt like my life was finally getting better. I stared at him with wide eyes . "No! I cant go to them! Please take me somewhere else!" I begged him. He looked at me with an apologetic look and shook his head. "I'm sorry Bella. It's the only place that has the safety that you need. You have to be protected from yourself."

I stared at him with disbelief clear on my face. They left me. Abandoned me . They had lost the right to look after and protect me long ago. I made a silent vow to myself to get away from them as soon as possible. As we neared a house between the huge trees a feeling of dread washed over me. I had to face him again.

The car came to a halt and Carlisle flew to my door with inhuman speed that only they could posess . Probably hearing us, the door was pulled open. I looked up and met his gaze. My breath hitched. Edward.


	3. Chapter 3

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING . IT BELONGS TO STEPHANIE MEYERS !

CHAPTER 3 : PERFECT TORTURE

He stood at the door. He looked exactly like I he had when I first saw him. Perfect , intimidating with his surreal beauty. I stared at him , unable to take my eyes off him.

"Hi , Bella. " Even those simple words made my heart leap with joy. He was right before my eyes. It seemed like a dream . I had been so stunned to see him that I had not seen the unknown woman beside him. My heart beat faltered. He had found someone else. Someone better and more beautiful than I could ever dream of being. I had not expected him to want me back , I had always known that I was unworthy of him.

She looked at me with a look of disgust . "What's this?" she asked Carlisle . Her perfect voice sounding like bells. I flinched. "This is Bella. She will be staying with us." "Bella!" A familiar voice called, gracefully walking down the stairs. Alice . My best friend. I had missed her almost as much as I had missed him. She carefully embraced me in a cold hug. "I'm so glad you're here." she whispered into my ear. her voice sounding like music to my ears. "Lets go."

As I walked into the guest bedroom I saw the cupboard full of clothes. Oh no. she must have known I would come here. She proceeded to tell me about all that she'd been up to so far, I sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled for the first time in months. It felt good. "Edward wants to talk to you." She suddenly muttered.

Dread washed over me as I made my way downstairs. As we walked into the living room I saw Edward and the woman from before sit on the couch. He motioned for me to sit down

"How are you?" he asked me. I raised my eyebrow. "How do you think? Edward. I think you can answer that for yourself."

He didn't even look guilty. After all that I had been through because of him, he didn't even care.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Bella. But you have to understand that it was for your own good."

I shook my head in disgust. How had I ever loved the man before me? He was obviously completely full of himself.

I got up from the couch and pulled Alice with me as I went out the door.

"Please take me away from here, Alice."

"Anything for you, dearest Bella "she said with a sly smile on her face.

Maybe this as part of her vision. Maybe I'm supposed to go home

As we walked towards hey Porsche I realized that my numb feeling had disappeared. It had been replaced with a feeling of determination. I was ready to move on. I promised myself that I would get revenge. That he would beg to let me take him back . I would find a way.

A/N : well that was the third chapter. I know it's not fantastic but I tried my best..I'm even listening to music that matches the story to try and get me in the mood. So far it has only managed to make me depressed and rid me of my fantastic mood… but like Bella I am determined to finish this story !

I love all people that chose to read this .. thanks to u all. I appreciate it. Please review .. and please . no flames . I'm already depressed enough as it is …

Please review ! Brigitte


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I do not own any part of Twilight. It all belongs to Stephanie Meyers.

As Alice walked me to the car I thought over what had happened today. Maybe it was time for a change. Who knows? It could be good for me.

"Anywhere in particular that you want to go ?" Alice asked with a raise of her eyebrow. "Alice. I think it's time we go on a little vacation. Alice's smile widened as we got into the car. "Where to ?"

As we started driving down the street I thought it over. "Have you ever been to Italy?" Alice suddenly asked me. "No. Why?" "I think it's time for a change. And I think it's time for you to see that there's more to life than just Edward. Can we go there?" Alice mused. "Okay. But there is one problem." I said, biting my lip. "What ?" Alice asked." I don't have any clothes." The minute I said that Alice grinned. What have I gotten myself into ?

Six hours and about 200 shops later, we pulled up in front of an expensive looking hotel. Alice got out of the car and threw the car keys to the valet. "Come on, Bella!" Alice called. I carefully got out from the car. Our mountain of shopping bags was already loaded onto a cart. After we had checked in at reception and went up five floors, we arrived at our rooms. Alice slid the card into the door and opened it for the man pushing the trolley. Once the trolley had been unloaded and the man gone, Alice turned to me. " Time to try on your clothes !" she squealed. She shoved about 10 shopping bags into my arms and dragged me into the en-suite bathroom. "Now, try on everything and come show me how you look." Alice demanded, walking out the door. I cautiously opened one of the bags. As I pulled out a gorgeous pair of black boots I gasped." Alice! Turns out you're not so bad!"

The boots were like nothing I'd ever seen before. They were the type of boots that you wanted to wear with everything. I had the feeling I would do just that. Five minutes later I emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of dark rinsed skinny jeans, an electric blue off the shoulder tee, a soft leather jacket and of course, the boots. Alice was delighted. "I always knew you had it in you." Alice smiled. "But time's up. We gotta go. I booked us a flight to Volterra." " Volterra?" I asked. "What is it like there?" I started packing my new clothes into a suitcase. "It's a gorgeous town on a hill in the countryside. You'll like it there." Alice said. I paused, wanting to ask more questions. "You'll see later. All you need is just a little patience." Alice interrupted. Grabbing our bags and walking out the door. "Let's go." I hurried after her. Downstairs the car was brought up front. When everything was loaded in, we got in and made our way to the local airport.

- 8 Hours Later -

"The plane is about to land. Please take your seat and fasten your seatbelts." I woke up with a jolt. Alice looked at me from the seat across from me. "Welcome to Volterra." She smiled. I looked out the window. Even though we were still on the landing strip, I could see the lush green countryside. It was breathtaking. After we had made our way through customs and gotten our bags, Alice hired a car. It was a shiny black Mercedes. "It's about an hour drive to Volterra from here." Alice sighed. "We'll be there around 8 o' clock." "That's fine with me." I said. " More time to find out what we're doing here." I stated. As the sun set while we drove I had a conversation with Alice. She told me about where they had gone and when he had met the other vampire. Her name was Tanya. They'd gotten together two weeks after he'd left me. "I still can't believe I trusted him so much." I sneered with disgust. "Don't worry, Bella. Pretty soon you'll find out that Edward isn't as amazing as everyone claims him to be." Alice calmly stated. I turned away and stared out the window. The sun had already set and the moon was creeping up into the sky. Up ahead I saw something large looming into the sky. It was a massive gate made out of wood and wrought iron. As we drove closer , the gate was opened by two security guards. I waved a thank you to them as we drove into Volterra. It looked surreal. The streets were made of cobblestones and there were many red doors leading into what I guessed were the homes of the residents. We drove about four kilometres and stopped in front of a quaint looking hotel. It wasn't quite as fancy as the other hotel. But I liked it. There were dozens of big red flags being removed from the walls by workers. I glanced at Alice in question. "Today was Saint Marcus day. To celebrate the day vampires were driven out of the city." She smirked. I laughed to myself. After that we were escorted to our rooms. My room was at the end of the hallway, opposite from Alice's room. I said goodnight to Alice and went into my room. There was a large bed in the middle of the room with two doors on either side of it. I found out that one lead to the bathroom and the other lead to a balcony overlooking the street. I had a wonderful hot shower and pulled on my new white nightgown. It was soft against my skin with lace around the neckline. I ignored the slippers and padded barefoot to the balcony. I pushed aside the flowing white curtains and stepped onto the balcony. It had a beautiful view of the street below. I saw a door open and gazed at it. A tall figure step out of the door and pull up a hood. As I leaned over the rail to get a closer look the person stopped. I quickly stepped back behind the curtains and waited a minute before peering out again. The street was empty. I rushed to the bed and pulled the covers up to my shoulders. After ignoring the fact that I didn't even close the balcony doors. I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Once again, I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephanie Meyers.

A/N – Sorry I haven't updated in what's been almost a year. Things have been really busy. But I'm here now.

I woke up to a knock on the door. Groaning , I stretched out and unwillingly slid out of my warm bed. I put on my slippers and opened the door. "Good morning!" Alice said in a chirpy voice. I yawned and stepped back to let her in. I wasn't a morning person. "Since I decided to think about your human needs, I'm taking you out for breakfast. But you might want do something about your hair first." Alice grimaced. I groaned. My hair had a habit of tangling in the most horrid ways. "I'll meet you downstairs. I need a shower first." I negotiated. "On one condition." Alice said sternly. " What ?" " You have to let me pick your clothes." Alice squealed with a wink.

"Ok, but something normal." I warned ,walking to the bathroom and closing the door. After washing my hair three times to get rid of the tangles, I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me. There was a deep red, knee length dress with thin straps lying on the bed. What made Alice think I would want to wear this? Two minutes later I was wearing the dress, and I had to admit. It looked good. After drying my hair and leaving it to fall into it's usual waves, I made my way downstairs. The lobby was absolutely deserted except for the security guard. I assumed that Alice was just waiting around the corner. I pushed open the revolving doors and stepped out into the street. It was very quiet . But what else could I expect at nine am on a Sunday morning. The sun was hot above my head and the cobblestones looked cool and inviting. I slipped off my sandals and embraced the cool feeling off the ground beneath my feet. Sandals in hand , I continued down the street. After walking for what seemed like ages I realized that it was a stupid idea to go walking alone in the streets looking for Alice. I sighed and turned around. I then realized my worst fear. There were four turn-offs. But which way was the one back to the hotel ? I looked around for anyone that I could ask for help , but the street was deserted. Where was everyone!? Grumbling with irritation, I turned left. I decided that I would ask for directions at the first place that looked lived in. After walking for what seemed like ages I arrived at an enormous building. At closer inspection I saw that it was a Cathedral. I pushed open the heavy doors and looked inside. Seeing a figure at the podium, I walked down the aisle to the front. There was a man lying face down on the floor. I rushed over to him and turned him over. I gasped in shock at what I saw. His eyes were glazed over and his neck was dripping blood. I dropped him and stood up, startled. My pulse began to race as I looked around me. This could only be the work of a Vampire. I looked around me for any signs of movement, all I could see were the flapping curtains at the window. I decided to take my chances and walked over to the window. I slowly reached out and grasped the curtain. Moving it aside , I leaned over the frame to peer outside. Suddenly there was a flash of black in the street. It moved so quickly it was almost incoherent. Suddenly I felt a stabbing pain on my wrist. I held it up for closer inspection and saw that it was dripping with blood. This couldn't be good. I had to get out of there. Fast. I turned around and made my way to the door. Once outside , I bolted down the street. Gasping , I went around a corner. Alice was standing in the street next to her car. "Alice!" I gasped with relief. "Where have you been !? I've been worried sick about you!" she whispered loudly with wide eyes. "I was looking for you, and there was a man. He's dead! There was a vampire!" I stumbled over the words, unable to calm down. Alice grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug."Relax. It's okay now. Just tell me what happened." Alice murmured soothingly. After we had driven to a small Deli near the hotel , I had finally calmed down enough to talk. I told her about everything about what had happened during the day, then I remembered my wrist. "And this happened." I said , holding up my wrist. Alice stared at me , her lip trembling. " What's wrong ?" I asked slowly. "You have no idea what that means, do you?" Alice whispered. " What?" I asked shakily. "When a vampire draws blood without killing you, It's never good. Once he has the scent of your blood, he can track you." Alice said. " Well that doesn't mean he'll come after me, does it ? I haven't done anything." I reasoned, trying to calm myself. " The problem with traditional vampires is that they follow a set of rules set up among themselves. They never leave their prey alive. Assuming that he's traditional, he'll come after you. We have to get you out of here. Now!" I had never heard Alice sound this panicked. We got up from the table and ran for the car. " Forget about our stuff at the hotel. We're heading straight for the airport." Alice said , putting the car into gear and tearing down the street. We drove at what I assumed were 180km/hr , It almost seemed impossible considering the sharp corners. But somehow, Alice did just that. As we drove down the street I once again saw the massive gates rising up ahead. I gasped at the same time Alice did. The gates were shut. We came to a stop in front of the gates . Suddenly Alice looked up. Following her gaze, I saw that a figure was perched on top of the gates. What happened in the next seconds shocked me. He jumped down and landed three steps away from the car. I stared at him , unable to tear away my eyes. He wore a black hood covering his face that fell reached his ankles. He was tall with a muscular figure. The minute that he looked up I saw the red eyes. While my heartbeat sped up I could only think one think. He was utterly terrifying , yet completely breath taking with his beauty and grace. He then shifted his gaze and met my stare. Slowly his lips curled up in what was either a smile or a snarl. This was bad. Very bad.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephanie Meyers.

Chapter 6

All I could do was stare. I couldn't think , I couldn't function. All I could do was stare at his face.

"Bella. Stay in the car." Alice said , breaking me out of my trance. She pushed open the car door and walked towards the vampire. He finally took his eyes off me to look at the vampire approaching him. She stopped a few feet away from him and glared at him. "Alec." She seethed. Alec cocked his head to the side and smirked at her. "What's this?" he questioned, glancing at me. "None of your business. Now open the gates." Alice said, sounding irritated. "Why would I want to do that. I'm having so much fun. Besides, I would like for Aro to meet the human." He said calmly. It was amazing how anyone could stay calm while Alice was glaring at them in such a way. That was the last straw for Alice. She lunged at him , fangs bared. They struggled for a few seconds and rolled over on the ground until he was on top of her, holding down her arms. They seemed to be talking. Their lips moved too fast for me to understand what was going on. Alice suddenly stopped struggling and froze. She slowly sat up as he let her go. She turned towards me and our eyes locked. She mouthed something to me and ran. She was gone in a couple of seconds. This seemed to happen to me a lot. It was probably time to get used to everyone leaving me. "I have to move." I whispered to myself. I slowly inched toward the car door. I knew I didn't have much of a chance, but I had to try. I bolted down the street for the second time that day, I ran faster than I had ever ran in my entire life and prayed that my death would be fast. Suddenly I felt cold arms grip my arm. Surprised by this, I fell towards the stone floors. My head hit the ground and I felt a piercing pain in my skull. Dazed , I turned onto my back and stared up. I lifted my fingers to my head and found blood dripping down my temple. I gasped in shock as I was lifted into the air. I tried to kick out but the vampire's strong arms gripped my waist. " None of that." He whispered into my ear. I glanced up at him. His eyes were black and his jaw was clenched. He looked down to meet my gaze and I immediately looked away. "Just kill me." I whispered. He only pursed his lips and came to a halt. I glanced to the front. There was a large door in front of me. He gripped the heavy handle and pushed the door open. The room inside was dark and cold. I couldn't see where we were going. I only felt him move as he climbed down steep stairs. They seemed to go on forever. At last I saw a glimmer of light. The closer we got to the light , the bigger it seemed to get. Finally he stopped. I heard him slide open bolts and heard a groaning sound as he pushed open a door. The light inside the room was so bright , I was momentarily blinded. It was beautiful. The walls were a light cream colour, paintings lining the walls. There were golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and crystal vases of flowers stood everywhere. It looked like a museum. At the other end of the room was a large desk. As we moved closer to the desk I saw that someone was seated behind it. "Gianna." Alec said in greeting. I realized that she had green eyes. If she was human, how did she possibly survive here? Surely she should have been dead. As we moved past her and continued down a long corridor. Alec looked down at me with a slight smile on his face. "Shocked ?" He asked. "It seems to me that you think all humans are food. But try to remember this. We can control ourselves." He whispered to me. I nodded at him and turned my head away. "I need you to wait here." Alec said, putting me down on a chair that was pushed against the wall. "It's not like I have a choice." I mumbled. He only ignored me and slipped through the door . I pulled my knees up to my chest and contemplated what I was going to do. I couldn't run. That was for sure. All I could do was agree with whatever they were planning to do. I hated being at the mercy of someone else, but I knew that if I ever wanted to see the outside world again I would have to play the role of a terrified human. I briefly wondered about Edward. Would he care that I was dead ? Probably not. I still couldn't understand why Alice had also left me. I cocked my head and made up my mind. I would survive no matter what they threw my way. My train of thoughts were broken when Alec stepped through the door. "Aro wants to see you." He said. All traces of humour were completely wiped from his face. He roughly pulled me off the seat and pushed me through the door. Being my usual clumsy self, I tripped over my own feet and stumbled towards the ground. I braced myself for the pain that I knew was about to come. Suddenly I was pulled upright. I turned around. Expecting to see Alec.

Instead, I looked up at the face of a different vampire. It was almost impossible for me to comprehend that he was even more beautiful than Alec. He had had dark , almost black hair that reached his ears. His eyes were a dark red framed by black lashes. He was also the biggest vampire I had ever seen. I shivered in fear as he leaned down towards my neck. Inches away, he stopped. "We wouldn't want you to bleed, now would we?" He whispered as he let go of my arm. I could barely nod as he moved away. He was instantly replaced by Alec who continued to push me towards the front of the room. I was too scared to look up, I didn't want to make eye contact with the massive vampire again. Only when a saw three marble steps in front of me did I look up. In front of me were the kings of the vampire world. The one sitting on the throne in the middle stood up with effortless grace. He looked absolutely lethal.

He walked down the steps and stopped in front of me. He reached for my hand as he looked towards my face. Slowly a shocked expression crept onto his face . "I do not see anything." He whispered. This seemed to surprise many. I heard whispers around me while he stared at me. Slowly a grin crept onto my face. " Surprised?" I asked loudly.

A/N- Hi to anyone that just read this. I really appreciate it. I know that this chapter may not have been the best, but hey, I tried. Besides that, I'm not sure if all of you know what a great feeling you get when you open your mail inbox and there are mails saying someone reviewed your story. If you don't know, the answer is that you get an AMAZING feeling. So please review.

- Brigitte


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 8

After a lengthy conversation with Aro, Marcus and Caius I was sent to a guest room. Everything I needed was provided and the room was completely perfect. Once I was alone, I tried to think of something that would clear my head. So I grabbed a towel and headed to the shower.

I stared at the sight in front of me. Alec was stretched out on my bed, grinning like he owned the place. "W-what are you doing here?" I stammered, pulling my towel tightly around me. "Well, since I am the one that brought you here, I'm going to introduce you to the Volturi guard. I might even be willing to show you around."

"That's very nice of you, but unfortunately I'm tired and really not in the mood for this. So get out." I said , holding open the door. "How did you get in anyway?"

Alec quirked one eyebrow and walked towards me. "I have a key." He gave me one last glance and shut the door behind him. I grumbled to myself and once again locked the door. I longingly looked at the bed and turned to glance at the clock on the wall. It was already 10 PM! I walked to the wardrobe and sifted through the clothes for a pair of pyjamas. After 5 minutes of digging through millions of ridiculous ball gowns, I gave up. I pulled my dress over my head and crawled into bed. It was the first time that I'd ever slept in my underwear. I just hoped there would be no surprise visits. Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling above me. There was a mural of angels standing at the gates of hell. This seemed to cause a reaction . Suddenly I started laughing. It was amazing how morbid my sense of humour got since I arrived here. I sighed to myself and drifted off to sleep.

-Next Morning-

I sighed in content and pulled the covers tighter around me. If I was being forced to stay here, I was definitely going to sleep in. "Open the door!" someone shouted. I sat up in bed and stomped to the door. Just as I was about to open the door, I realized what I was wearing. Or in this case, wasn't wearing. I blushed furiously and pulled on the dress from the previous night. I opened the door and smiled at the woman in front of me. It was Gianna. "Sorry I woke you. I just thought that maybe we could have breakfast together." Gianna shrugged sheepishly. "No problem. Come in." I said, pulling the door open wide and stepping to the side. She set the big tray down on the coffee table and flopped down on the bed. "You have no idea how in need I am of human company. I have absolutely no privacy here. They hear everything!" she exclaimed. I nodded in agreement and sat down next to her. I lifted up the lid of the tray and gasped in delight. There were carrot muffins and black coffee. Just what I needed. Gianna poured herself a cup of coffee while I bit into a muffin. "So what do you think of Felix and Alec?"

I swallowed a particularly large bite and poured a cup of coffee. "I don't know. I wouldn't say I really like Alec. Though Felix seems strange." I said softly. Gianna nodded and finished her coffee in silence. Once we were done, Gianna looked at me with a wild gleam in her eyes. She continued to badger me to let her choose my clothes. Finally caving, I agreed. She jumped up and pushed me towards the bathroom. "Shower. You have half and hour!" I felt a sharp pain in my head as I realized that only a few hours ago Alice had said the same thing to me.

I padded to the shower and opened the taps. I washed my hair and body. After fifteen minutes. I shut off the taps and wrapped a towel around me. I opened the door and leaned around it. Every possible surface in the room was covered in make-up , clothes, shoes and other objects that looked like torture devices. Gianna glanced up from a box on her lap. She motioned for me to come closer and handed me a box and a bathrobe. "Put this on and come right back. I'm gonna do your hair." I headed back to the bathroom and put on the underwear in the box. It was icy blue and lacy. Completely embarrassing . I tied the bathrobe tightly around my waist and went to sit on a chair in the bedroom. Gianna blow dried my hair and rubbed a lump of mousse into my hair. After lots of exasperated sighs and groans, she managed to straighten my hair. When I saw her coming near me with a make-up bag, I panicked. In the end, she only managed to get lipgloss and eyeliner onto my face. I admired myself in the mirror. I actually looked presentable. She finally handed me some clothes and shoes. It was a floaty , light blue summer dress matched with silver pumps. Not as bad as I feared. Hearing her whisper something to herself , I turned to look at her. She was pacing up and down with wide eyes. "We're late!" she exclaimed , pulling me towards the door. "What's going on?" She let go of my arm and turned towards me. "He didn't tell you?" Just as I was about to enquire, there was a knock on the door. Gianna grimaced and turned to me. "Show time."

A/N: Hi all. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I wasn't home. It was school holidays. I'll try to start working on chapter 9 tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N- Okay, I know there was a mix up with the chapters. I would normally use the excuse that I'm blonde, but not this time. Sorry about that. I haven't updated in quite a while, once again, sorry about that too. Here's the next chapter. Ps. In my story, Santiago looks different and Chelsea does not even exist.

Gianna pulled open the door to reveal a man standing in the doorway. Of course, he was a vampire. He was wearing a dark suit with a black cloak over it. His hood was pulled up and I could only see parts of his face. He seemed to have shoulder length dark hair. What stood out the most was his skin. Instead of the usual stark white, his had an olive tone. He lifted his head and acknowledged me. I felt my pulse speed up. "Hello Isabella. My name is Santiago." My mouth went dry. My head was still spinning as he held out his arm for me. All I could do was gaze at him while I slipped my arm through his. He turned around and steered me down the corridor. I glanced back to look at Gianna but the door was already closed. I gathered up my courage and peeked at him. "Where are we going?" He pushed open a door and held it open as he looked at me. "Aro has come to a decision that I will be appointed as your guard. I thought it best to get acquainted with you and show you Volterra." I took a moment to absorb the news. Why would I need a guard? Weren't they going to turn me soon? He didn't seem bothered by my lack of response.

We were now in what looked like an underground garage. He lifted his hand into the air and pressed a button on his car key remote. A nearby car's lights flashed. He led me to the car. I could only see the outline of the car in the dim light. He let go of my arm and held open my door as he started to speak again. "It has been decided that you will be granted one more year of mortality. You are to experience more of the mortal world and will be turned on the first of January. He started the car and drove into the dark. He didn't switch on his headlights.

He smiled lightly at me as we drove out into the light. " Aro requested a volunteer to take you wherever you want to go. He wants you to experience everything you possibly can as a human. Since I was getting bored of staying in Volterra permanently, I volunteered. It seemed like the perfect excuse to me. I get to see the world again." I nodded and started to question him. I continued to ask him about himself until we reached a restaurant. He didn't know his human surname, he was 21 years old when he was bitten and he didn't particularly like the Volturi. That came as a shock to me. My attention was brought back to him when he fished a small container out of his back pocket. He opened it and slipped contact lenses into his eyes. He blinked in irritation as he pulled off his cloak. I could now see him clearly. He was completely handsome in an ethereal way. He didn't even seem remotely human. He got out of the car and had my door open in three seconds. His eyes were now a dark brown, If you looked carefully , you could see flecks of red. He motioned for me to follow him. We walked to the door and he once again held it open for me. The woman at the front desk asked for out reservation number and led us towards a table in the back. The restaurant was dimly lit and was furnished in dark wood. Once we had settled down, and our orders were taken, he faced me. "Where do you want to go first ?" he asked. "What do you mean ? Where can I go?" I questioned.

"Anywhere in the world. You name it, and that's where we'll go." he answered. I pondered it for a moment. "Let's get onto the first plane available and see where we end up." I grinned. This could actually be fun. This seemed to get smile out of him. "I would never have guessed that you were the adventurous type, Isabella." He said smoothly. I blushed and looked down at my hands. I definitely needed to get control of my blushing. Was there even something that you could do about it?

My thoughts were interrupted as out food arrived. I had ordered vegetable lasagne and Ice-tea. Santiago, wanting to seem human, had also opted for an Ice-tea. He look at the glass in front of him with disgust. A laugh escaped my lips as he cocked an eyebrow at me. "How do you even drink this? It smells horrid." He stated. I immediately came up with a response to defend the Ice-tea. It happened to be higher up my list than coffee. "It's not gross. It's just … an acquired taste."

"I suppose you're right. After all, our diets are quite different." He said with a smirk. My eyes widened at his comment. "You are much too honest." I said, shaking my head. "Try the Ice-tea." I suggested. With a sigh, he raised it to his mouth. I watched as he scrunched his nose and swallow it with disdain. After a minute of terrible facial expressions, he looked at me. "That was horrible!" he whispered.

While I finished my food and his Ice-tea remained untouched, we discussed our travel plans. We were to buy a change of clothes, drive to the airport, and get onto the first plane. Sounds simple right? It wasn't. We couldn't find any shops in Volterra that sold ordinary clothes. Everything was fancy lace and silk. There were dozens of dresses and skirts, but not jeans. Eventually, I had to choose something. I settled for a knee-length , white wrap-around skirt. It was light and comfortable. Santiago offered to go find me a pair of shoes while I looked for a shirt. The least revealing shirt in the shop was a lavender coloured , cotton blouse that revealed one shoulder. It would have to do. Grumbling to myself in irritation, I slipped it over my arm and pushed aside the dressing room curtains and walked out. Right into Santiago. I stumbled backwards and he steadied me by the elbows before I could fall. "Careful now. You would be no use if you were broken and bloody." He stated with an amused grin. I shrugged the comment off and took the box in his arms. Inside was a pair of black sandals. He smiled sheepishly and explained. "It was either these or stilettos…" he trailed off. I nodded in agreement. He told me to change into the clothes while he went to pay and find clothes for himself.

After changing, I walked around the shop looking for him. I found him at the back . He was being harassed by a young woman that worked at the shop. She kept smiling at him as she attempted to flirt. He looked miserable. I forced back a laugh and thought of a plan. After a minute of strategizing, I decided to go forth with the plan. I strolled towards him and slipped my arms around his neck. "Where have you been? We're going to be late!" I scolded. The woman glared at me and marched away. I waited until she was gone before I took a step back. I was blushing furiously.

A/N- If you wanted to know, the inspiration for the story is a song called "Heaven help us" by 'My Chemical Romance.' They are really awesome. I want you to imagine Santiago looking like the picture in the link. Just with red eyes and white skin, okay?

-Brigitte .


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.. yada yada yada yada. Just don't sue me.

A/N: And I'm back! Isn't it ironic that when I have heaps of free time I have no inspiration, but when exams are about to start I'm suddenly struck with ideas? I think it is.

**Chapter 9 **

Trying to hide by blush, I turned my back towards him. "Do you have everything you need for now? We can get any other necessities at the airport." Santiago asked, brushing off what had just happened. I thanked my lucky stars that he didn't embarrass me further by asking about my actions. "I'm good." I mumbled, walking towards the door while he went to pay for everything. I opened the door and stepped out into the late morning sun. Lifting my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I looked around for the car. It was parked at the corner of the street. I fidgeted with my dress and walked down the street. Since I didn't have to run, or rather, stumble away from vampires, I could appreciate the beauty of the city. The buildings were old and charming. They seemed to have grown from the cobblestone street underneath my feet. I could easily see why the Volturi stayed here.

I came to a halt next to the car and tried the door. Locked. Asking for the keys would have been a good idea, though I hadn't thought of anything other than my embarrassment at what I did. It had been a stupid idea. I muttered to myself about thinking before doing as I leaned against the passenger side of the car. I heard a door slam nearby and I turned towards the noise. A small child was running down the steps of a dull red door opened again and a middle aged women rushed after her. She had a dish cloth draped across her shoulder and a look of amusement on her face. She shouted out in Italian as she ran after the little girl. Cornering the girl at a lamp post, she grabbed her around the waist and held her to her side. The little girl giggled as she was carried back to the house. The woman noticed me and greeted me cheerfully. Having no idea how to reply in Italian, I gave her a smile and a wave. As the door closed, I felt a pang in my stomach. As a little girl I had always dreamt of having my own family one day. That was certainly out of the picture now. I did my best to banish the thought as I saw Santiago's tall shape in the blinding sun. I wondered if he had ever thought about having children as a mortal man. Probably not. He gave me a nod as he unlocked the car and placed the bags in the back. Congratulations, Bella. I thought to myself. Now it was going to be an awkward trip. Once I was inside and we were driving towards the gates of Volterra, he spoke. "I appreciate what you did in the shop. It is very tiring to have to deal with mortal women all the time. You would think they've never seen a man before in their lives." he said with a grin. "You can't really blame them can you? After all, your kind is supposed to attract prey." I said with a grimace. I didn't like referring to humans as prey. But what else could I call us?

"Let's just forget that I am a vampire. Pretend that I'm just a normal guy who you just met." He said with a smile. "I can try. Though it is probably impossible. You act too… Well mannered." I struggled to explain. My generation wasn't as bell behaved as his generation had probably been. The guys I knew swore and acted like barbarians. They certainly didn't treat me with a shred of respect. I glanced at him to see what his reaction would be. To my astonishment, he was laughing. "You certainly don't say or do what I think you would. Would you rather I act like a complete- " he paused. He frowned as he tried to think of a word. "douche?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "No!" I exclaimed. "Just don't speak so formal. Haven't you ever watched a teenage movie?" I asked. "That would teach you how most people talk." He shook his head. "Well, we have number one on our list of things to do." I said with a smile. Although I didn't watch as much television as most people, I had certainly watched my share of cheesy teenage movies with happy endings. Those days finally had a use. After a few more turns in the quiet streets, we stopped in front of the gates. I winced as I realized we were in the exact same spot that Alice and I had been. Hearing my sharp intake of breath, Santiago turned towards me. "I am very sorry about what happened with your companion. It was wrong of her to leave you." He said softly. Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded. He exchanged a few words in Italian with the guard and the gates were opened for us. He didn't speak again as we drove past the green farmlands and lush countryside. That was a good thing. I didn't feel like talking anymore. My cheek rested against the window as I watched the greenery rush by. I felt Santiago's eyes watching me. Ignoring it, I cleared my head and drifted to sleep with the comfort of the vibrating car around me.

A/N: Okay. This comment is for all of you who freaked out about Alice. Calm down! I certainly like Alice. I don't want to give away the plot, but I can assure you that your beloved Alice is going to make an appearance… Just read on.. And don't forget to review. Xoxo

Brigitte


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Once again. I do not own anything. I wouldn't like to own Twilight anyway because of all the obsessive fans. I do NOT want people following me everywhere. I'd end up moving to some remote island with my dog, books and Mocha Ice-cream. Yum. Anyway, here is chapter 10. I wrote it half an hour before my Maths exam. So if you don't like it, Sorry! I was stressed out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Bella?" "Bella, wake up!" I heard Santiago next to me. I groaned at being awaken and grudgingly opened my eyes. Santiago was leaning towards me with a smile on his face. Rubbing me eyes, I looked around me and saw that we were parked in an underground parking lot. "I'm guessing we're at the airport." I said, stepping out of the car and into the chilly afternoon air. The only other people around was an old lady pushing a cart towards the exit and a security guard standing nearby. Santiago motioned for me to follow him as he stalked towards the elevators. He pressed the button and turned towards me. "You can decide where we're going when I buy the tickets. Once that's finished, you can go shopping for everything you'll need." I nodded in agreement and stepped back as the elevator door opened. A cheerful couple and a man in a suit stepped out. As we stepped inside, Santiago gave the man that had been standing in the corner a searching look. He was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up, successfully hiding his face from view. I pressed the button for the second floor and turned towards the mirror behind me. My hair was a mess. I had never really cared about having perfect hair. Not that it was possible for my hair anyway. I combed through my hair with my fingers in an attempt to try and tame it. Failing to get it to co-operate, I turned back towards the front with a sigh. I felt the goosebumps on my arms and rubbed my hand against me arm. It was freezing in the elevator and the dress I wore offered no protection. A few seconds later, the elevator announced it's arrival on the second floor with a ding. Santiago and I stepped out and headed towards the electronic board displaying all the flights. I felt someone look at me and glanced back towards the elevator. The man in the hood was gone. Blinking in surprise, I shrugged and turned towards Santiago. "Where do you want to go?" He questioned. I cocked my hair and gave the board a fleeting glance. I didn't want to choose anything cliché like Paris. But I also didn't want to go anywhere where my chances of freezing to death were high. I thought about how people always thought I was predictable and reliable. I wanted to be adventurous for once in my life! Going over a plan in my head, I came to a decision. "First stop is London."

Santiago nodded and gathered a stack of Euros in his hand. When we got to the front of the line, he walked towards the booking counter. I studied the people around me as he bought the tickets. Putting the tickets in his back pocket, he walked towards a bench nearby. He studied me for a moment while I raised my eyebrows in question. "Sorry, umm. I'm going to go find suitcases for us. You go get everything you need and I'll meet up with you to pay later." Before I could ask where we would meet, he had already turned and was lost in the throng of shoppers. Rolling my eyes, I looked around for a shop that looked like it sold warm clothes. I knew that even in summertime, London wasn't exactly warm. Spotting a shop with mannequins wearing warm clothes, I walked towards it and pushed open the door. Warm air blew across my face as I walked towards the clothing racks. I went through the racks and draped all the suitable clothes across my arm. The heap soon grew with all the jeans and long sleeved shirts I was pulling out. I made sure to get other necessities as well. I took note of everything and muttered to myself. "Shoes. I need shoes." I knew that wearing uncomfortable shoes on a flight was the worst thing you could do. I'd had my share of blisters in my life and I wasn't about to have a repeat. I needed a pair of boots. I headed towards the boots on display and finally settled on black, knee length boots. They were pretty and looked pretty comfortable. I shifted the pile onto my other arm and walked towards the counter. I explained that I was going to come back in a few minutes. Pursing her lips and giving me a glare, she finally agreed and I headed out the door towards my next shop. I went into the first electronic shop I saw and took an I-pod of the shelf. If the Volturi was going to make me travel around the world with a vampire, I was going to need music. I read a sign on the wall and grinned with delight. The shop allowed you to choose music and they uploaded it onto your I-pod. Great. I browsed through the music section and tried to decide on something. My taste in music had always come as a shock to people. Everyone assumed that I liked classical music. That couldn't have been further from the truth. I happened to be a big fan of Guns N' Roses. I've always thought Axl Rose was the best thing that happened to humanity. I searched for the Rock section and inspected the GNR: Greatest Hits album.

"Have you listened to Chinese Democracy?" Asked a voice behind me. I gasped in shock and clutched the I-pod box to my chest. It was the man from the elevator. His hood was pulled down and I took the opportunity to study his features. He had black hair that looked like he continuously ran his fingers through it. His lip was pierced and I could see the edge of a tattoo peeking from the neck of his hoodie. His eyes were dark brown. He wasn't the type that I was usually attracted to, but I had to admit, he was hot. Realizing that I hadn't answered him, I looked back at his face. He was patiently waiting for a reply with a small smile gracing his lips. "No I haven't. I'm still stuck on their old songs."

He picked up an album and turned it around in his hands. "What's your name?" he asked. "Bella." He nodded and set the album back down. I studied him out of the corner of my eye. "What's your favorite song?" I asked. He seemed to ponder it for a bit before he replied. " Estranged." This time he gave me a full blown grin and held my gaze. "Yours?" It was hard for me to decide. My favorite song varied from day to day. " It would have to be The Garden." he smiled humorously as he turned back towards the stack of CD's. "If I had to guess I would have said you probably like November Rain. Guess I was wrong."

Completely enthralled by him, we continued to discuss the different music we like as we walked side by side around the shop. We were interrupted by the sound of a phone. He took a shiny black phone out of his pocket and peered at the screen. "Shit!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I have to go. See you later, Bella." I watched him running into the crowd until he disappeared from view.

Then I realized it. I didn't ask him what his name is.

A/N: If you want to know what mystery guy looks like. Just Google Oliver Sykes and Ronnie Radke. In my head, he looks like a cross between them. And one more thing that's essential to the story: My vampires do not sparkle. It is vital that you know that. So that's that. Please review!

Brigitte


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: You guys better love me! I have written two chapters today just because I've been asked to update. This chapter is up at the request of DOPennington I have no idea what should happen further and ideas are completely welcome! You guys can follow me on Twitter waddiepaddie

And… I don't own anything so you'll be wasting your time sueing me.

Chapter 11

I sighed in frustration. He seemed interesting and I would probably never see him again. Seeing Santiago in the crowd, my anger flared up. I was suddenly tired of being kept waiting and not having a choice as to the vampire situation. I clenched my teeth and marched towards him. I heard the alarms at the door go off as I still had the I-pod. But I brushed it off. Santiago with his stupid, confident attitude. I walked past him into a hallway at the side of a large pillar. I waited until he was behind me before I turned around and shoved him as hard as I could. Being caught off guard, he stepped back a few centimetres before he regained his footing again. "What's wrong with you?" he whispered, not wanting to attract attention to us. I could barely hear the security guards shouting as they ran towards us. "What's wrong with me? I am sick of this. I want you to leave me alone and I want to live my life by myself. Alone! Without YOU!" His eyes widened as he registered what I had just said. Before he could reply, he was cut off by the security guards who had caught up with us. They lunged towards me and Santiago stepped forward as he pushed me behind his back. They spoke harshly in Italian while they made wild gestures in my direction. Santiago calmly said something in Italian and pulled something out of his pocket. I leaned over his shoulder to see what it was but one of the security guards had already slipped it into his pocket. To my astonishment, they didn't arrest me or anything. They simply greeted us and walked away. Santiago spoke as he turned around. "Listen. I understand what you're saying and I know why you're upset. But please try to understand this. There is nothing I can do about your situation. I am only part of the guard. I don't make any decisions. Please. Please don't make this difficult for me." He pleaded. I looked up at his face. His contact lenses had faded completely and his eyes were back to crimson. I thought about it. I didn't want to make the trip bad for both of us and I didn't really want him completely out of my life. I hesitated for a moment but nodded at him as I walked past him. I paused at the end of the hallway and turned around. "You might want to put in new contacts."

Santiago paid for everything after he had put in new contacts. His eyes were now a dull colour and I now held my new I-pod in my hand with all the Guns N' Roses songs. I smiled to myself as I saw that Chinese Democracy was also on the I-pod. I clutched my suitcase which was now filled with clothes and walked towards the boarding gate. I played with the ends of my scarf as I waited in line with Santiago. I had changed into clothes more appropriate for cold weather when I had been busy packing my suitcase in the ladies room. I was now clad in dark grey jeans, my comfy black boots, a plain long sleeved white shirt and a purple scarf loosely knotted around my neck. Santiago handed our tickets and two passports to the air hostess at the entrance to the aeroplane. I panicked when I realized that it couldn't possibly have been my passport. Santiago glanced back at me and gave me a reassuring look as she let us past. "How did you do that?" I whispered to him. He merely waved my question away and shrugged. "I have my ways." I had to stop myself from laughing as I told myself that it wasn't anything new. After all, Vampires never ceased to surprise me. We went to our assigned seats at the front of the plane. I chose the window seat and sank down into the large, first class seats.

Once we were up in the air, a woman came to take our drink orders. Santiago ordered mineral water to keep up his facade while I ordered a big mug of Hot Chocolate. The rest of the hour was spent having light conversation with Santiago. I had found out that he had never had Hot Chocolate as a human and that he had never heard of Guns N' Roses. He also thought that Heathecliff from Wuthering Height was a moron. I had to agree with him on that one. He had clearly loved Kathy and yet he didn't really fight for her. The next few hours were spent watching movies on the small screen in front of me. I switched off the movie I was watching and buckled my seatbelt when they announced that we were getting ready to land. I put down my cup of coffee and gazed out the window. Big white snowflakes were drifting around the plane. I smiled as we stood up to get our bags in the compartment above our heads. I had never been to London. I felt as excited as I had always felt on Christmas mornings. This was only the beginning of our trip.

Two hours later, we were still stuck in rows. Gatwick was ghastly. It was probably the worst airport experience I had ever known. When we finally got through customs, I was irritated and ready to get far away from here. Once on the sidewalk, Santiago hailed a cab while I blew on my hands to warm them up. Santiago must have noticed because he took off the cream coloured jacket he was wearing and draped it around my shoulders. "Thank you!" I exclaimed gratefully. When a cab stopped in front of us, I grabbed my suitcase and made a run for the door, treading carefully on the slippery sidewalk. Luckily my boots seemed to have been made for this weather. Santiago loaded our suitcases into the back while I slid into the backseat. Santiago soon sat down next to me and closed the door against the cold night air. Once comfortably seated , he leaned towards the driver and told him to take us to a hotel called The Milestone. Two more hours on the road and I was dead on my feet. It was half past ten and we were yet to arrive at out hotel. I drifted to sleep and awoke again as the driver spoke. "Here we are!" I rubbed my eyes and gasped when Santiago appeared out of nowhere and opened the door for me. The hotel in front was a massive red brick building. It looked elegant and quite expensive. A butler rushed towards the car and took our bags, pushing it towards the counter for us. Santiago checked us in and we got into the elevator to go to the Deluxe Studio. After we arrived at the room. I sleepily pulled on a pair of pyjamas from my heap of clothes and flopped onto the bed. Sleep soon took me.

A/N I made it! After having no inspiration at all, this chapter popped into my head. And my fish just played dead. I am in shock. Surely I deserve a review?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephanie Meyers.

"Santiago?" I called, climbing out of bed and pulling on my robe. I yawned and peered around the doorway into every room. He wasn't in any of them . I cast a searching glance across the room and spotted and envelope on the table. Ripping it open, I hastily read it. He had gone out to run a few errands and wanted me to explore by myself. He had also remembered to leave some money for me. I squealed with excitement and pushed aside the curtains. The snow had stopped and the sky was now covered with a dense, dark layer of clouds. It seemed a bit gloomy for my first day alone. After having a shower and getting dressed, I grabbed the money and pushed it into my pocket. On second thought, I grabbed a map of London from the stack of brochures. The doorman greeted me as he opened the door for me and at my request told the directions to a coffee shop. I admired the old grey street and tall trees as I followed his directions. What I needed was coffee and breakfast. My stomach was already grumbling with anticipation.

The coffee shop was a charming little Café with small tables scattered across the sidewalk. I ordered a Café Mocha and inspected their menu. I ordered a Mushroom and Cheese muffin and went outside to wait for my order. I insisted on paying the minute the waitress brought my food and left a generous tip. The muffin was savory and moist whilst the coffee was strong and sweet. Perfect combination. I had to keep myself from moaning out loud as I took a bite and leaned back in my chair whilst lifting the last bit of coffee to my mouth and studying the hordes of people pushing past each other in the street. After getting strange looks from people for staring, I threw my paper box and cup into a trash can and headed down the street. According to my map there was a book store nearby. But to get there, I would have to take a bus. I spotted a bus stop across the street and carefully crossed the street, well aware of the drivers who drove as if they wouldn't hesitate to knock me down. Like a scene out of a movie, a red double decker bus came to a halt in front of the bus stop. I grinned and climbed onboard. I bought a ticket from the grumpy looking driver and sank into a seat in the front row. I leaned against the window and looked out at all the people and building flashing past as we drove to the nest stop. Once we came to a halt, I confirmed with the driver that it was where I wanted to be before I jumped off the bus stairs. I realized that I didn't even have a cellphone with me. Then again, I highly doubted Santiago would be worried about me. After finding the book store and buying a tourist attraction book, I sat down on a bench and paged through the book. There were a lot of places I could go, but the thing that I really wanted to do was feed the infamous London ducks. I found a shop and finally settled for a bag containing six Croissants. I hadn't been able to find anything that I would have found appetizing, had I been a Duck. Tucking the bag under my arm, I walked along the path to the pond in the park. A freezing breeze had picked up and I snuggled into my jacket. The ducks didn't seem to mind the Croissants and swallowed the pieces that I sprinkled onto the grass within minutes. Not wanting to sit on the snow covered bench, I stood at the edge of the water and watched them. One Duck that had been watching me noticed that I still had a Croissant left. He rushed over to me and nipped at my legs. I ripped the Croissant into chunks and dropped it at my feet. I crouched down and smiled at the duck. "You are so cute!" I whispered in the high pitched voice that I normally reserved for animals and babies. The duck didn't pay any attention to me and gobbled up the last chunk before waddling back to the pond. A snowflake landed on my shoulder and I glanced up. Hundreds of snowflakes were once again falling from the dark clouds. I headed to find cover and decided that another cup of coffee was probably a good idea. Though maybe Hot Chocolate was a better idea… I pushed open the door to a busy Coffee Shop. The inside of the shop was warm and the smell of Coffee wafted through the room. Finally getting to the front of the line, I ordered Hot Chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. I looked at my watch to see how much time I had left. Luckily, Santiago hadn't given me a curfew. I still had a couple of hours before nighttime. A man stepped around me and taped a poster to the wall in front of me. It seemed that a band would be performing at a local theatre. I considered it for a moment before deciding to give it a try. I didn't have anything better to do.

The small theatre was packed. The crowd mostly consisted of squealing little girls and I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Having already bought a ticket, I went inside to find a good seat. The posters inside clearly showed what band would be performing. It looked like a British Boy Band. I curled my lip at that, it wasn't really the type of music I liked. Not at all. After two songs, I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and shouldered my way through the crowd. My early departure earned me quite a few glares from the dedicated female fans the band had. To my utter amazement, It had started raining. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry at my unfortunate luck. I didn't have an umbrella or anything relatively waterproof. With a sigh, I thought over my options. I could either go inside and die listening to the terrible music or I could get soaked. I decided to risk the rain. The snow on the sidewalk had turned to slippery slush and I had to walk frustratingly slow to avoid slipping. I was soaked within seconds. There wasn't even a bus stop or a cab in sight.

"Do you need some help?" called a voice. I jumped towards the source of the unfamiliar voice and stood frozen in the middle of the street with rain dripping off my face. "It's you!" I shouted with a grin. He had exchanged his dark hoodie for a dark leather jacket instead. It was the man from the music shop. He grinned back at me and stepped closer until I was also covered by the umbrella he held over his head. He slipped off his jacket and draped it across my shoulders before whispering softly in my ear. "Do you want to have coffee with me?"

A/N: Well there it is. I need a name for our man in black , so suggestions are very welcome. I also decided to set a challenge. I'm not going to post another chapter unless I get at least four reviews.

There you have it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

-Brigitte


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Yada, yada, yada.

A/N: Well I haven't updated in quite a while and I know it's pathetic. If this chapter seems odd and kind of out of shape, just know that it's because it's been a while.

"Do you want to have coffee with me?"

I stood gaping at him while my mind reeled. This was SO weird. "Yeah, of course." I practically shouted and inwardly cursed myself for sounding so eager. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the rain into an underground parking lot. My eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light and our footsteps echoed into the dim light that seemed to smother us. We came to a halt in front of what seemed to be a motorcycle, the outline of it made me think of a Harley. Hey, it was probably one. He gently tilted my chin upwards and slid a helmet over my head. A shiver went through me as his finger grazed my throat while he tied the strap. I slipped my legs over the side and very ungracefully plopped down behind him. My cheeks burned crimson. I slipped my arms around his waist and felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled at me. "Brace yourself. This might get a little cold and wet." he shouted to me over the roar of the engine as we squealed out into the street. I closed my eyes tightly and pressed my cheek to his shoulder to shield my face from the biting wind. My hair whipped out behind me as we drove through the busy streets and after what seems like a lifetime, stopped in front of an apartment building.

I tried to tame my hair while we waited for the elevator. The lobby was furnished in dark wood and leather and it smelled a bit like cigarette smoke. The doors dinged and opened for us to step in. There was no one else in the elevator and I made light conversation until he stopped at a door on the sixth floor and patted his pockets looking for his keys. He had told me that he didn't exactly want me to get pneumonia and he had a dryer at his place that would be of help to me. The hot chocolate making skills he had proudly boasted about also helped to convince me that it wasn't just some plan to torture and decapitate me. He showed me to the bathroom and handed me an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. I changed out of my wet clothes while I explored the bathroom. It had all the usual guy stuff with nothing of interest to me. I picked up the pile of wet clothes and slowly made my way into the hallway. The open plan apartment was very spacious and was furnished in warm colours. The walls were covered with tall bookcases that sagged under the weight of all the books. My fingertips grazed lightly over their spines while I read some of the titles: "Steven Adler: My Appetite for Destruction, Dave Mustaine, Slash by Slash" and a lot more of what seemed to be biographies and books about music. There was a shelf dedicated to vinyls. He had some impressive records. "I hope you found the clothes okay." I heard his voice behind me and turned to look at him. "It's very kind of you." I said, taking the cup that he held out to me. I took a sip of the chocolaty drink and sank down onto the leather couch, tucking my feet under me. "You never told me your name." I blurted out. He fell down onto the couch across from me and stretched his legs out before turning to answer me. "I'm Cowen." he grinned. "Anything else you want to know?" he asked. I set down my cup and motioned towards the poster covered walls and books and gave a him a curious look. "Where did you get all of those?"

"Concerts, Internet. Pretty much anywhere I can find them. As you can probably see, I am _slightly _obsessed with rock n' roll." he laughed. "I can say the same. Although I never seem to find any posters. But I can proudly say that I have read a lot of the biographies." He looked impressed by this and raised one eyebrow. "What was your most favourite part of all?"

The answer immediately came to mind and I tried to answer as I got a fit of giggles thinking about it. "The part where Ozzy Osbourne's father finds a brillo pad in his food!" He swallowed his hot chocolate in an effort to avoid choking and started laughing. "I loved that part. And the part with the Nazi woman." "Definitely." I nodded in agreement. He told me all about his travels across the world and about all the concerts he'd been to and I answered any questions he had. By that time, we had gotten up and were walking towards the window. "So what are you doing in London?" Cowen enquired. Panic went through me as I tried to come up with a believable explanation. "I'm- umm here with a friend." I muttered and tried to look sincere. He seemed to believe me and only glanced at me. "So where is _this _friend?" "I don't really know. He's here on business and I decided to tag along. We're more of acquaintances I suppose." My hot chocolate was cold and had formed a milky layer on top. I grimaced as I swallowed the layer along with the last of the hot chocolate. "Well. I've probably got to get back to the hotel." I said and glanced out the window, surprised to see that it was already pitch black outside. I didn't even realize that I'd been here for several hours and I wondered how I was going to get back to the hotel.

"I'll take you back. After all, I'm the one who dragged you here." he smiled sheepishly. I accepted his offer and I got my clothes from him that were now dry after being in the dryer for ages. I quickly got dressed in the bathroom and once again tried to fix my hair. But alas, it was all tangles. It was going to be a nightmare. He lent one of his jackets to me and we made our way to his Harley downstairs. The night air was freezing as we stepped outside and I snuggled into the jacket for warmth. It smelled like coffee, cherries and smoke. It was an odd combination. I closed my eyes as we drove through the dark streets. I thought about all the things I wanted to do with my life, but instead I was stuck with a boring vampire. We stopped in front of my hotel and I turned towards him after climbing off the bike. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him and put my head on his shoulder. After a few seconds, he hugged me back. I moved to stand on the tip of my toes and moved my mouth towards his ear. "I need your help."

Sooo there it is. It seems to me that I like Cowen more than any other character. So this is going to be a Bella/Felix story but I'm also going to post this on Wattpad and make it a Bella/Cowen story. Also, if you go back to chapter 6, you'll see that I altered the chapter and changed the plot so that Alice doesn't die. She has been resurrected. Hopefully it cheers up the people who were upset about her dying.

Goodbye for now :) -Brigitte xoxo


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

A/N: Hellooooo! Long time no see, huh? I started writing this chapter and then I gave up. But once I had read the reviews, I just had to update. It has been quite a while since I've worked on this story so please forgive me if it doesn't seem to follow up perfectly. Enjoy!

"I need your help."

He looked at me with a frown and nodded slightly. "Anything. Just tell me what to do." I internally did a happy dance and thanked God that someone was willing to help me. "Meet me tomorrow morning at London Tower. I'll explain everything there. Goodnight!" I whispered quickly before dashing to the door which was already being pulled open. Once inside, I looked back just in time to see the lights of his motorbike disappear around the corner.

I slipped through the door of my hotel room and bolted the it behind me. Hopefully Santiago wasn't back yet. I began the trek to my room and jumped with fright when I heard a voice behind me. "Did you have fun?" I turned towards the voice to see Santiago leaning against the wall behind me. "Yes I did." I smiled. He cocked his head and gave me a strange look. "Guess who called to inquire about you." he drawled. I frowned slightly as I thought of who it could be. "Felix. It was Felix." he answered before I could respond. "Felix? Why? What did he want?" My heart seemed to beat a little bit faster "He wanted to know where we were and how you were doing. I was practically interrogated! Though he _did_ say Aro wanted to know. If I didn't know any better, I would say he has a _crush on you." _ He exclaimed with a laughing smile. I didn't want to reply, afraid that I might let it slip that I had a _slight_ crush on him. Instead I gave a fleeting nod and dashed to the room. Closing the door behind me, I sank down to sit on the floor against the door. I needed a plan. I didn't really want to spend more time with Santiago. "It's just a stupid little crush. That's all." I said to reassure myself. It's just not logical to have a crush on Felix. He's a vampire and I'm a human. And that's not the only problem! I cleared my head of all thoughts and had a shower before I slipped into bed. My dreams were filled with red eyes and rain soaked streets.

I felt like I was falling and jerked awake. The rain was falling down in sleets against the windows and the thunder was raging. I padded to the window and pushed aside the curtain. The sky was black and a sudden flash of lightning made me gasp and jump back. Checking if Santiago was here, I walked through the suite only to find it completely empty. It was definitely going to be a boring around the world trip if he planned abandoning me everywhere we went. I went back to my room knowing that he would've once again left a letter to explain where he had gone. The table was empty. I looked on every available surface and found nothing. I shrugged it off and opened my suitcase to get dressed. Slipping the leftover money and the hotel key into a handbag, I made my way to London Tower. The streets were once again busy and I struggled to get past all the people. The crowds seemed to push against me and I felt slightly claustrophobic. It was chaos as I neared the Tower. There were police cars everywhere and sirens were wailing all around me. I huddled closer to the umbrella I held as the wind blew the rain into my face. An ambulance speeded past me and men jumped out as soon as it came to a stop. I slowly made my way across the busy street and saw smoke rising from something on the pavement. There were pieces of metal and melted plastic scattered across the side of the road and paving. "No, no, no!" I screamed to myself as I realized that they were pieces of a distinct Harley. I saw the men carry a stretcher laden with a figure clad in leather and dread went through me. I felt someone hold me back as I tried to run towards him. The umbrella flew out of my hands and the rain fell in sheets onto me. It seemed to chill me to the bone. "Cowen!" I kept shouting as I fought to get to him. But the arms around my waist didn't even let go as I kicked and screamed. I sank down in defeat and watched them drive away with my only hope.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hi there. Yes, I do realize I have been a total bitch, not having updated in MONTHS. I'm really sorry about that. I just re-read the last chapter. The ending was a horrible cliffhanger. Every time I update, my writing style is different. Please excuse me if you don't like the new direction. Hope you like it. X

Chapter 15

The pavement was freezing where I had sat down next to the road. I slowly stood up, pulled my jacket tighter around me, and made my way down the street. I wasn't sure where I was going but continued anyway. The number of people in the streets dwindled and the last rays of sunshine lit up the dark grey city. A cold feeling seeped into my bones as I realized how unfamiliar everything looked. The stupidity of my actions dawned on me and I sped up, in search of somewhere to go. An underground train sign loomed up ahead of me. It was illuminated by a streetlight that cast imposing shadows over the now deserted sidewalk. The hallway echoed with my footsteps as I jogged down the steps. Voices could be heard from a bench a few meters away where a group of men were gathered. Upon my arrival, I was only spared a quick glance before they turned their backs on me again. Walking over to the map of the London underground, I tried to devise a plan. To get on a random train wouldn't help. Santiago would probably be able to find me, but I needed to go somewhere safe for the time being. My danger-magnetism wasn't a good thing. I had hoped Cowen would answer to my problems. That answer was now a dead end. "You have to see Cowen!" a sudden thought came to mind. To know that he was okay. The name of the hospital was a mystery to me. An idea sprang to mind and I half ran towards the group at the bench. They looked at me warily. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you. Could I please use your phone? It's an emergency. My friend was in an accident and I have no idea where they took him and…" One of the men cut me off mid-sentence. His eyes were far apart and he looked like he hadn't shaven in a while. "It's okay. No need to explain further. I could call the ER of the nearest hospital for you. Just tell me your friend's name and where the accident happened."

I grinned in relief and gave him the name and place. I switched my weight to my other leg as he put the phone to his ear. The two other men made no attempt at eye contact. I happily returned the favor. "He's in room 24 at London Central." I thanked him profusely and ran back up the steps towards the street. In my haze I had passed a sign directing the way to a hospital. I smacked myself on the forehead and sprinted back the way I had come from. The pavement was slippery from rain and ice, I struggled to stay upright but didn't dare run slower. The lady at the front desk gave me a knowing look as I hastily filled in a visitation form. The elevator seemed to take an eternity as I stood impatiently. A few people shuffled out when the doors opened. I didn't waste any time in jumping in and pressing the right button. Cowen was lying in a pale blue hospital bed facing the window. His head was bandaged and his eye was blue-ish black. He looked fine otherwise. I sat down into the armchair next to the bed and took a deep breath. I felt calmer with him next to me. He must have sensed my presence, as his eyes flickered open. "Bella" he choked out. "Cowen. How do you feel? I'm so sorry I took so long to get here!" he weakly waved his arm in dismissal. "I'm okay though. I'll get out of here soon enough. How's my bike?" he winced. "Wait. Don't tell me." He added quickly. I smiled weakly at his fear for his motorbike. "I was in a hurry to meet you. It sounded serious when you asked for my help. What can I do to help?" I looked around me as I leaned in so that I could lower my voice. "I need to get away from someone. Quickly. My father left me a lot of money. I could live off it for a while. I just need you to book the plane tickets for me. I can't do it myself, as I'm sure you know. Leaving a paper trail is something I _do not_ want to do." He laid back onto the pillow as he frowned thoughtfully. "I can do it now if you want me to." He indicated to his phone on the bedside table. "I would be forever thankful. " Can I transfer the ticket money into your account?" he agreed before he put the phone to his ear and made several calls. "Your flight leaves at 8pm. Reference number 1962. I have a contact in Emirates. I would like to see you again, Bella. Would that be possible?" I leaned against the door frame as I made my way out. "I don't know, Cowen. I'll contact you when I can. I know your building name. And Cowen. Thank you." I smiled before making my way out. I didn't look back as the security guard hailed a cab for me. I tossed a few notes at the driver and asked him to step on it. The ride to the airport was in record time, to my relief. I booked in and walked through security. I located my gate number before I started wandering around. A visit to the bathroom later, I had the emergency bank card I kept on me, clutched firmly in my left hand. There were precisely 43 minutes before boarding time. I bought a handbag and filled it with all the necessities. Getting a neck pillow would be a waste of time. Cowen had booked me a seat in first class. It was a very welcome surprise. My stomach rumbled as I located my seat. Number 2A. A lovely window seat. The flight passed agonizingly slow. I expected Santiago to appear every time I looked down the aisle. I drifted in and out of sleep as we made our way to my final destination. "Ladies and gentleman, please fasten your seatbelts for landing. We hope you enjoy your stay. Thank you for flying with Emirates."

Customs were utterly painful. Finding my next boarding gate was harder than I had thought it would be. For an airport in a third world country, it was massive and confusing. I rushed through the last gate with seconds to spare. The man next to me didn't seem to speak any English. Left with nothing to do, I leaned against the window and stared into the darkness.

"Welcome to South Africa."


End file.
